FEBRUARY 2013 VOLUME 16 - NUMBER 2 FREE Good food, great idea for neighbourhood Nicole Ermine, Supervisor at the Good Food Junction shows off some of the staples that shoppers can pick up at the store located in Riversdale on 20th Street and Avenue L. (Photo by John Lagimodiere) SINCLAIR PLEASED An Ontario court ruling is being praised by Justice Murray Sinclair . - Page 12 THE BIG 8 AFN Chief Shawn Atleo says eight points of agreement have been presented to the federal government. - Page 14 YOU’LL BE INDSPIRED! Indspire will take place in Saskatoon and will honour 14 Aboriginal achievers. - Pages 15-17 ON THE HOT SEAT MP Rob Clarke’s private member’s bill has raised the ire of many people across the country. - Page 20 YOUNG PUCK STOPPER By John Lagimodiere Riversdale and Pleasant Hill in Saskatoon are a Victoria Marie Bourassa is a Of Eagle Feather News prime example. Recently, things improved significant - young goaltender but she n the middle of a food desert, people suffer. Getting ly. Giant Tiger opened up and for the past six months the already has her sights set on a basic groceries becomes problematic and there is Good Food Junction Co-op has been serving people in hockey scholarship . - Page 31 Iusually no good source for great food like fruit, dairy the core. and neck bones. The Good Food Junction Co-op is located in the new Welcome to our Costs rise due to transport and the inability to drop Station 20 West building and is a testament to community Health & Wellness Issue by and pick up just a few items that you really need. effort. The building was developed with little help from Coming In March - Women’s Edition Sadly, most food deserts occur in poorer neighbourhoods government and mostly on the back of community and impacts people who can’t afford transportation. champions and donations. CPMA #40027204 • Continued on Page 8 2 Eagle Feather News FEBRUARY 2013 FEBRUARY 2013 Eagle Feather News - Health 3 Saskatoon Health Region making health care less daunting for Aboriginal patients Maura Davies, President and CEO Saskatoon Health Region addresses the media as Gabe Lafond, Director of First Nation and Métis Health Services and Representative Workforce for the Region looks on. (Photo by John Lagimodiere) By John Lagimodiere Of Eagle Feather News irst Nations and Métis patients and their families will soon have better access to the health services they need in two Saskatoon hospitals. Strange language, weird Fprocedures and lots of bureaucracy and rules have often led to bad experiences for Aboriginal patients from the North and for those with English as a second language. This means patients are often being overwhelmed by the health system and it impairs their ability to heal properly, oftentimes costing the health system more than it should. To address this issue work has started to create a First Nations and Métis health service in St. Paul’s and Royal University hospitals. The service will provide clinical and tradi - tional care. Health educators will facilitate navigation service, act as a cultural support, including the ability to interpret in a First Nation language, coordinate service and be a liaison person for those who request assistance. Elder Services will be a foundational piece of the First Nations and Métis Health Unit. “This new unit is going to help us ensure that First Nations and Métis patients and their families are comfortable with the care they are receiving,” says Maura Davies, President and CEO Saskatoon Health Region. “Many of our First Nations and Métis patients come from outside the region and need extra support like access to interpreters to communicate with health care providers.” The development of this unit is an initiative of the recently created First Nations and Métis Health Council which is part of Saskatoon Health Region’s Aboriginal Health Strategy. The role of the council is to advise the health region on changes needed to ensure facilities are culturally responsive and client and family centered for First Nations and Métis patients, clients and families. Gabe Lafond is the Director of First Nation and Métis Health Services and Repre - sentative Workforce for the Region. “We intend to hire a manager immediately and then three health educators,” said Lafond during a press conference at St Paul’s Hospital. “The educators will work on the renal and medicine departments with self-identified First Nation and Métis patients. There are lots of challenges for these patients to work with the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch and some of the roadblocks to access to information and some of the administrative challenges. “We will see what the demand is once the service is in place but we are sure that it will be high.” Aboriginal people are the highest per capita users of the health system in Saskatchewan. Diabetes rates are high and chronic health conditions are stressing the system. Many Elders don’t have a good understanding of English and it creates frustra - tion and extended stays. “Our advocates will be able to address the language issues and translate for them,” added Lafond who said that many of the recommendations came about after much research and long discussions with their partners at the Saskatoon Tribal Council and Métis Nation- Saskatchewan. “This kind of service is not new in Saskatchewan. The Regina-Qu’Appelle Health Region has had a service like this for the last 30 years. It will be nice to get it off the ground here at the Saskatoon Health Region. “By making this investment in service if we can shorten the length of stay for these patients with complex care and we can work with their families to get them home quicker, the patients and the Region will win.” 4 Eagle Feather News FEBRUARY 2013 Lots of sickness to report in health and wellness edition This month is our health and the Treaties. Besides regularly embarrassing the wellness edition. Sadly we could almost The reaction is government with fill an edition each month on some of the fast and vitriolic his childish antics, illnesses that prevail in the Aboriginal often with people snide comments, community. immediately Twitter feuds, A recent study noted that young First labelling them racist. sketchy dealings Nation girls are starting to show Those statements are with Senate living increased rates of Type 2 diabetes. This not inherently racist, allowances and a is scary. Type 2 diabetes occurs because just ignorant (But at horrible attendance of poor diet but many of these girls had the same time I do record, it took a moms who had diabetes while they were see some absolutely racist postings that domestic violence incident for the pregnant. Now you have to feel sorry for scare the heck out of me ... worst, though, Conservatives to finally kick Stephen these girls because they are born into it is that these people are some kids’ parents Harper’s pet Indian out of their Caucus. and being fed by their parents. At the and the kids are learning this … say hello It is long overdue. This man’s same time, many families have difficul - to another damaged generation … but I behavior has been so erratic he needs to ty buying proper foods because of where digress). be evicted from the Senate. But just think, they live. Once most Canadians learn the as an independent Senator he has the Many northern and remote commu - reality and how it all fits in the Constitu - potential to make almost $5 million JUSTIN TRUDEAU nities struggle to get affordable fruit, tion, they back down a bit and start dollars in his lifetime. $5 million and dairy and vegetables. Transport costs are talking rational. Now is the time in have a job until he is 75 all because So heads up this week as students at high and the government tends to turn a Canada for dignified and respectful Brazeau endorsed Stephen Harper when SIAST, SIIT and the U of S will have many blind eye. As the late great Jim Sinclair dialogue on our history, present situation he led the Congress of Aboriginal People. young people come through experiencing once famously pointed out, you can get and on how we are all going to go into the This is a great reflection of our Prime post secondary education for the first, and a bottle of whiskey in the North for the future together. Attacking those that Minister’s judgement. We vote bad. we hope, not the last time. We can’t wait same price as in Regina, but add on an question Idle No More, Chief Theresa • • • for the show, the set, the talent and the extra $5 for milk in the North. There is Spence or the Indian Act isn’t the way to Speaking of people that punched out dignitaries. It is going to be a fun week. something wrong with this picture when go. Do not stoop to the lowest level. Patrick Brazeau, Liberal Leadership • • • we subsidize alcohol but not food. Bring those people up to yours. candidate Justin Trudeau made a Last but not least, we have never seen In the inner cities, major grocery And ignore the racists, they just want whirlwind pass through Saskatchewan kerfuffle on the Hill in Ottawa like we chains have spent the last two decades a rise out of you. recently. He stopped and visited First did in January. The impassioned moving their stores to the suburbs forcing • • • Nation and Métis leaders and spoke at speeches, the rallies, the tears and the traditionally poor folks to take cabs and Continuing on the theme of sickness, several Liberal gatherings.